Mick had already clipped the security footage and was waiting for Zachary's word.He had checked the footage repeatedly as well and was only getting more impressed with his masterful acting by the second. He looked just like a maestro, and every detail he mentioned was flawless and showed experience.Zacahry even said that Raymond had truly slipped up with that bronze sculpture, leaving him endlessly thrilled.The proverbial missing piece of the puzzle was here!Hence, calling all the staff he trusted, he told them excitedly, "Spread the word right away—Raymond Cole slipped up, spending 300 thousand on a fake Renaissance-era bronze sculpture!"His staff had no idea of the conspiracy involved, only that Mick had said that someone had tried to sell a counterfeit bronze sculpture but he had seen through it right away and chased him away, only for Raymond to end up buying the fake bronze sculpture soon after.Someone asked, "Mr. Crane, don't you think Raymond Cole bought from the man
In groups like these, any gossip would immediately spread like wildfire as people share everything here with their other circles.Within minutes of these people's good work, Antique Street was abuzz even as the skies darkened: one of the antique traders had been swindled for 300 thousand, and it was Raymond Cole—the former manager of the Vintage Deluxe at that!Some of them wondered when Raymond had actually returned while others were laughing.He was supposed to be the former manager of the Vintage Deluxe, but he had messed up as well? You had to be kidding!Many were dumbstruck too—how would Raymond survive in Antique Street after losing so much money? It had been so long since such a major scam had been pulled!As such, all the antique dealers were asking one question: how did Raymond Cole get fooled?Meanwhile, Mick didn't leak the security footage right away, instead sending his people out to spread the news in other channels, claiming that Raymond thought he had won big by
Decorative lights and illuminants lit up the extravagant Wilson family mansion.Tonight was the 70th birthday banquet of Lady Wilson, the head of the Wilson family.Her grandchildren and their spouses gathered around her to hand her their luxurious gifts.“Grandma, I heard that you love the Chinese tea. I looked high and low for this century-old Pu’er tea worth half a million dollars to present it to you.”“Grandma, you are a devoted Buddhist. This Buddha statue is carved from the authentic Hetian jade, it is worth seven hundred thousand dollars…”Looking at the nicely wrapped gifts in front of her, Lady Wilson laughed heartily. The entire ambiance was harmonious and happy.Suddenly, Charlie Wade, Lady Wilson’s eldest grandson-in-law, spoke, “Grandma, could you lend me a million dollars, please? Mrs. Lewis from the welfare home is diagnosed with uremia and I need the money for her treatment…”The entire Wilson family gaped in extreme shock. Everyone stared at Charlie with bewi
Ten billion dollars?!Charlie was shocked. His eyes wide open, his mouth wide agape.He knew that his grandfather was very wealthy, but back then, he was too young to understand the concept of money. He only knew that the Wade family was one of the wealthiest families in Eastcliff and even the country, but he wasn’t sure what his net worth was.Right now, he finally knew.If ten billion dollars were just pocket money, it meant that the entire Wade family had a net worth of more than one trillion dollars!Frankly speaking, at this moment, he was slightly touched and swayed. However, when he thought about his deceased parents and how his grandfather was part of the reasons why they had died, he knew he could never easily forgive him.Sensing his frustration, Stephen quickly said, “Young Master, you are one of the Wade family members, so the money is yours. Besides, technically speaking, it belongs to your father.”“The Master said that if you’re willing to go home, he will let you
The next morning, after preparing breakfast, Charlie rode his scooter to Emgrand Group’s office.He parked his scooter on the side of Emgrand’s parking lot. As soon as he locked his scooter, a black Bentley slowly parked in a spot across from him.He looked up inadvertently and saw a young couple getting out of the car.The man was wearing a branded suit, looking very handsome and smart. Meanwhile, the lady was dressed up in a flamboyant style. Although somewhat gaudy, she was considered a beauty.As it turned out, the lady was Wendy Wilson, Claire’s cousin, and the man was her fiancé, Gerald White.Charlie didn’t know why they were here, but he knew that the best way to avoid trouble was to stay away from them.However, the more eager he wanted to hide from them, the higher chances they would see him.Wendy caught sight of him from the corner of her eyes. She yelped loudly, “Hey, Charlie!”Wendy called out his name in a friendly manner, but Charlie felt goosebumps all over his
This was also the first time Charlie had ever met Doris.He had to admit that Doris was a very stunning and alluring young lady!She was about twenty-seven or eight years of age with a slender yet plump body figure, captivating appearance, and a very mature and honorable manner.Sitting down in front of Doris’s desk, Charlie started, “I will not come into the office often, so I would like you to continue looking over the company on my behalf. In addition, please do not disclose my identity to the public.”Doris was aware that Mr. Wade, who was sitting in front of her now, came from the extraordinary Wade family. For a prominent family like theirs, Emgrand Group was nothing but a mediocre business, so it was normal for him not to manage it himself. Hence, she quickly said, “Sure. Mr. Wade, just tell me if you need anything, I’ll be at your service.”At this moment, a secretary knocked on the door and said, “Miss Young, a man called Gerald White and his fiancé are here to see you.”
The two announcements released by Emgrand Group completely shook the entire Aurous Hill like a high magnitude earthquake.When the Wilson family learned about the ownership change in Emgrand Group, they figured out why the collaboration with the White family had been terminated. It seemed that Emgrand’s new owner didn’t think much of the White family.Back to the point, who was Mr. Wade? He simply bought Emgrand Group that was worth hundreds of billions of dollars without batting an eye—he was a little too powerful, wasn’t he? Even the richest man in Aurous Hill wouldn’t be so generous!All of a sudden, a lot of wealthy families were about to eagerly make a move. They wished to establish a connection with the mysterious Mr. Wade while on the other hand wished to marry their daughter to him.Moreover, the announcement about Emgrand Group’s investment of two billion dollars for the hotel construction project also shook the construction and interior decorating industries in Aurous H
Claire’s announcement sent a shock wave across the room, making everyone gape in extreme surprise!Everyone thought that Claire must be out of her mind! It was the worst time to stand under the limelight now! Other than failing miserably, there’s nothing else she could achieve!Emgrand Group was the largest company in Aurous Hill and the Wilson family was nothing more than an insignificant ant to them! Whoever took the challenge would only end up failing!Harold couldn’t help but mock sarcastically, “Claire, do you really think you can get a deal from Emgrand Group?”Wendy continued in the same mocking tone after her brother, “Claire, who do you think you are, what do you think Emgrand Group is? You being so reckless and irrational will only humiliate us, the Wilson family!”Someone else added, “Wendy is right! If she is kicked out by Emgrand Group, our family will be a laughing stock in Aurous Hill!”Blood rushed to Claire’s face and she felt her face burning in embarrassment.
In groups like these, any gossip would immediately spread like wildfire as people share everything here with their other circles.Within minutes of these people's good work, Antique Street was abuzz even as the skies darkened: one of the antique traders had been swindled for 300 thousand, and it was Raymond Cole—the former manager of the Vintage Deluxe at that!Some of them wondered when Raymond had actually returned while others were laughing.He was supposed to be the former manager of the Vintage Deluxe, but he had messed up as well? You had to be kidding!Many were dumbstruck too—how would Raymond survive in Antique Street after losing so much money? It had been so long since such a major scam had been pulled!As such, all the antique dealers were asking one question: how did Raymond Cole get fooled?Meanwhile, Mick didn't leak the security footage right away, instead sending his people out to spread the news in other channels, claiming that Raymond thought he had won big by
Mick had already clipped the security footage and was waiting for Zachary's word.He had checked the footage repeatedly as well and was only getting more impressed with his masterful acting by the second. He looked just like a maestro, and every detail he mentioned was flawless and showed experience.Zacahry even said that Raymond had truly slipped up with that bronze sculpture, leaving him endlessly thrilled.The proverbial missing piece of the puzzle was here!Hence, calling all the staff he trusted, he told them excitedly, "Spread the word right away—Raymond Cole slipped up, spending 300 thousand on a fake Renaissance-era bronze sculpture!"His staff had no idea of the conspiracy involved, only that Mick had said that someone had tried to sell a counterfeit bronze sculpture but he had seen through it right away and chased him away, only for Raymond to end up buying the fake bronze sculpture soon after.Someone asked, "Mr. Crane, don't you think Raymond Cole bought from the man
Raymond had said everything he should and shouldn't and with complete sincerity exactly because Billy would never believe it.As Billy just wanted to swindle him, it didn't matter how sincere Raymond was—he wanted the 300 thousand whatever it took. The key here was that Billy had refused a better prospect when told it was possible, and there was evidence that would support Raymond if either he or Zachary realized the truth and came to start trouble.That meant Raymond had nothing to worry about—they could take this to the United Nations but he'd still win this case.Having been in the antique trade for so long, he had seen every form of oddity and was always cautious with people, considering every aspect of any issue.Hence, once he downloaded the security footage to his phone, Raymond decided that he needed to sell the bronze sculpture—not because he was in urgent need of money, but because he realized that there were those who wanted him out of Aurous Hill's Antique Street.Afte
There were those in Antique Street who made their living from swindling the average Joe while others swindled antique traders.In fact, it was already cliche for them to trick antique traders with forgeries, and it was not surprising that someone had tried their luck on the opening day of Raymond's shop.As such, it was strange that he had just started today without any hype or even a proper shop sign, but someone was already after him.That told him that he was being targeted, and Raymond was putting his money on Zachary.The sole reason for that was how Zachary had come earlier to ask Raymond about how much capital he had, and he had humbly said a few hundred thousand.The fact that Billy had come and immediately demanded 500 thousand made even more sense—he wanted to siphon all of Raymond's capital.Even losing money wasn't the worst part—the worst was being labeled as an amateur.When that happened, customers who wanted the good stuff wouldn't come to him, and he would find
Just as Jacob was celebrating fooling Raymond, getting his revenge, and earning 200 thousand on top of that, Charlie was left musing to himself on the second floor of the teahouse.He knew that Billy was a conman as soon as he saw him, but he didn't understand why Raymond would buy from Billy.Could the item really be medieval as Raymond stated?As soon as the thought occurred to him, Charlie was sure of it. Given Raymond's knowledge of antiques, there was no way he would mess up in Antique Street of Aurous Hill.While his father-in-law and Zachary had worked hard to weave this elaborate conspiracy, Charlie still wondered how they would take the news that Raymond had bought something worth millions for just 300 thousand.Meanwhile, Raymond watched as Billy left and locked the door from the inside before studying the bronze sculpture once more.He trusted his own judgment that it was a gilded bronze statue from the medieval era. He was playing down its importance since the bronze
Meanwhile, Raymond sighed unhappily. "I really can't afford four hundred grand—like I said, there's not much to offer here in my shop, which I've been investing a lot in. I'd have to pay rent to the owner soon as well, and everything would end terribly for me if I paid that much…"Billy blurted right then, "You said it's medieval and worth millions, didn't you? You'd make a fortune if you sold it!"Raymond sighed again. "Million-dollar antiques aren't that easily sold, and people would be especially skeptical with a small business like mine. I could sell it at an auction too, but that's only happening when someone decides to organize one, not to mention the troublesome appraisal processes it involves.""And right now, I just think it's medieval in terms of style, but I'm no authority in the matter. In the end, it's up to experts and specific groups that would verify it, and if I messed up, it's entirely my loss.""Even if I'm lucky and it's medieval, I'd still have to wait until th
"Invest?!"Billy was left dumbstruck at the term.What even was this fool up to? This definitely wasn't in the script! What about the questions he was supposed to ask? It was like sitting for a grade-schooler test and suddenly being hit with a bar exam!In the car, Jacob blurted out, "What the hell is that bastard thinking? Is he really going to pay 250 thousand?!"Zachary pursed his lips. "Maybe he's just throwing us bait. Think about it—if we took the deal, we'd have to leave a contact number.""After that, he would trick us and say he sold it for ten million and lure us in for the five million. We'd definitely show up, wouldn't we? Once we came, it might turn out that he has called the cops and would even produce\ the bronze sculpture as evidence. Wouldn't we be just shooting ourselves in the foot?"Jacob was left in misery, his face contorting as he pouted, "But you said the cops wouldn't get involved…"Zachary rolled his eyes, "Yes, they wouldn't most of the time since that
However, neither Zachary nor Jacob expected Raymond to confuse them further as he asked Billy, "If you can afford to wait, you can leave the bronze sculpture with me as a consignment. I'll only take 10% off the sales while you get the rest—how about that?"Jacob was stunned and asked Zachary, "What the hell is he up to? Did he get too deep into character?"Zachary shook his head. "I don't get it either… is he trying to keep the bronze sculpture to use as evidence against us?"Jacob frowned. "I thought you said there was a gentleman agreement in this business, and the cops won't really care anyway?"Zachary snorted. "He said he would keep it as a consignment, meaning that he won't spend a dime. What if he told all the antique dealers instead of going to the cops? He would prove that he's sharp, making a name for himself… and what can we do? Do we take back the bronze sculpture? Even if we do, can we really ask for it?'"Fuck!" Jacob swore. "Then what are we waiting for? Tell Billy
In Treasure Measure, even Billy was having a hard time understanding what was going on.Before he came, Zachary made it very clear that he was here to dupe Raymond Cole, and he had come.As such, his job was now to claim that this bronze sculpture which was made in the last century was actually from the Renaissance era and then sell it to Raymond at a cutthroat price.But now, Raymond himself was saying that it was medieval? What was that supposed to mean?Even as he was left confused, he blurted out, "Sir, if you say it's from medieval times… then how much is it worth?"Raymond thought about it and said, "It's quite an unpopular item, but it's not to say that no one would buy it or that no one likes it. The main issue is that there were plenty of wars at that time, and most bronze would be used for weapons. Copper production would be low with rationing as well, so bronze tools were naturally rare for civilians.""Gilding is common for better quality items, and from the northern